Fantastic: Another Insiders Vs. Outsiders Fight In Upstate NY

(See update below)

The fight for the GOP nomination to replace Chris "Shirts Optional" Lee in NY-26 is starting to look uncomfortably like the fight in NY-23 between Scozzafavaasasa and Doug Hoffman.

Once again, it's up to county GOP chairs in the district to name the party's candidate (I don't think there's a provision in the law that would allow a primary even if they wanted to hold one). And once again, they appear to be going with an insider over a slate of outsiders, including Iraq War hero, David Bellavia.

Rus Thompson of Grand Island, a tea party figure who was active in Carl P. Paladino’s GOP campaign for governor, said Sunday he and others disapprove of the way Republican leaders are rushing toward the nomination of Assemblywoman Jane L. Corwin of Clarence. She remains the GOP front-runner for an anticipated special election stemming from Lee’s Feb. 9 resignation from Congress.

Thompson strongly hinted that the movement might coalesce behind a third-party candidacy by David Bellavia, an Iraq War veteran who mounted a strong effort for the 2008 GOP nomination eventually won by Lee.

“David Bellavia is bound and determined to run a third-party line,” Thompson said Sunday. “Because of the way Republicans have been treating this, people are talking about a third-party line.”

Bellavia would not go that far Sunday, though he questioned the rush to support a “self-funding millionaire.”

“I definitely have a lot in common with the tea party people,” Bellavia said. “But there is a process, and I’m going to be a good soldier for now.”

If you don't know who David Bellavia is, get thee to Blackfive immediately.

I don't know anything about Bellavia's politics but his service, his book and the recommendation of a lot of milbloggers I respect was good enough for me. A district where the Republican won with like 76% of the vote in November seems a pretty safe place to run a guy, for all his impressive accomplishments, is a neophyte when it comes to electoral politics.

But of course, the insiders seem pretty well committed to picking one of their own.

From a purely Republican Party perspective, the upside is it looks like the Conservative Party will cross-endorse the Republican nominee, so we may not see the NY-23 scenario where the Democrat sneaks in.

Any western NY morons around? You might want to call your local GOP and let them know who you'd like to see get the nomination.

Update: Er, never mind about letting them know who you want, they already picked Corwin.

Thanks to "Curious" in the comments.

posted by DrewM. at 02:08 PM

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